The Heart Of A Wolf
by KJFern
Summary: Fenris has finally decided that he can't live without Hawke, but will she believe that he really means it this time? 2 part story that is based on my mage F!Hawke's Rivalry Romance with Fenris. Rated M for mild language and sexual situations. Revised 1/31/12
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N**__: I just finished playing Dragon Age 2 for the sixth time and my mage happened to have a Rivalry Romance with Fenris…which turned out to be __**highly enjoyable**__! LOL Thus I decided to write a little two-part story about my mage and Fenris. Part one is finished… hope you enjoy it. :D_

_**Looking forward to reading any reviews or opinions you may wish to share!**_

_As always… __**thanks**__ to BioWare and the wonderful team of DA writers!_

_**6/4/12:**__ I realized as I was working on "A Song of Sorrows" that I needed to go back and change the timeline on this story, in order for the two stories to have the required continuity. So for you "canon purists" out there, please excuse the slight creative license that I am taking with the game timeline._

**Part One**

He had broken her heart two years ago and yet she had been unable to let him go. On that night, the anguished elf had left her all alone in her large, comfortable bed, amidst the silk sheets that had been twisted and tangled from their evening of passion. She had given her heart- and her body- freely to the handsome, but troubled elf, on that unforgettable night so long ago, yet he had still left her.

Since coming to the city of Kirkwall seven years ago, the strong-willed and beautiful woman had only allowed herself the luxury of tears and self-pity on two occasions; the night her mother had died and the night when the elf had left her.

None of the woman's friends, especially the mage Anders, could understand why she remained faithful to the broody elf, since he had made it clear to everyone in their close-knit circle of companions that he had ended their relationship-if one night together could even be termed a relationship.

The woman could not say that she and the elf were exactly friends; which may seem strange, considering the amount of time the two had spent together during the past six years or so. They had fought at each other's side on a multitude of occasions- too many to even recall now- and they had exchanged gestures and words of comfort during times of great personal sorrow and family upheaval over the years. Yet she shunned using the word _friend_ to describe their relationship. The woman felt _friendly rivals_ was a more apt term to describe the two of them.

The young woman sighed and ran her long fingers through her medium length golden-brown hair. She usually wore her hair pulled back in three short ponytails- two on each side of her head and one in the back- but she had let her hair down for the evening, since she planned to spend a quiet night at home. She was not sure now if that had been a very good decision or not, for it left her unoccupied mind too free to dwell on her lingering memories and feelings about the elf.

"Pardon me, Messere Hawke, but I just wanted to see if there was anything I could get you before me and my boy, Sandal, retired for the night," inquired Bodahn Ferric, the dwarf trader turned manservant, his voice interrupting her quiet contemplations.

Catelynn Hawke turned away from the large cut-stone fireplace where she had been standing, to look at the older dwarf. She gave him a friendly smile and replied, "No Bodahn. I don't need anything. Thank you for asking."

Bodahn gave the Champion a small smile and then bowed at the waist as he said, "My pleasure, Messere Hawke." The manservant straightened upright once again and then left the room, quietly shutting the door behind him.

Hawke turned away from the closed door and walked over to the desk and chair that sat against the wall closest to the room's entry. She picked up the bottle of wine that had been sitting on her desk for quite a long time now, and peered through the dark glass at the liquid contained within- it was still completely full. It had been a gift, of sorts, from the elf. He had retrieved one of the last bottles of wine from his former master's wine cellar within the mansion, and had given it to her.

Hawke had been saving the wine for a special occasion, but there it sat- still unopened. Varric had asked her not too long ago, why she had not opened it when she had been named the Champion of Kirkwall; if that wasn't enough reason to celebrate, what was? She had only shrugged her shoulders and replied that she guessed she just had not felt that it had been the _right_ special occasion. She looked at the glass bottle thoughtfully for a moment before setting it back down upon the desktop. She really was not exactly sure _why_ she kept putting off drinking the wine… why she needed to wait for the right sort of special occasion. Perhaps there really was not such a thing.

Hawke turned towards the closed door when she heard a scratching noise and a sharp, excited, short bark. She laughed and called out to her hound to wait a moment- she would open the door for him. She walked to the door, put her hand to the knob and turned; but before she could pull the door open all the way, her Marbari hound burst into the room, knocking her backwards and straight on her arse.

"Calm down, boy! I'm happy to see you too!" Hawke exclaimed in between the sloppy licks of the happy hound's tongue across her face. "Get off me, you daft dog!" Hawke commanded the hound, as she lay sprawled upon the stone-tiled floor, her voice full of delighted laughter. "You're getting me all wet with your dog kisses!"

The Mabari simply barked and continued on licking her cheeks with his large, wet tongue. Hawke tried pushing the dog away from her but she was laughing too hard, and the muscular hound was much too heavy to be moved without his cooperation.

"Do not be too hard on your hound, Hawke. It's a wonderful thing to be able to kiss a beautiful woman."

Hawke's laughter suddenly died out in her throat, and her heart skipped a beat or two at the sound of his voice. The dog lifted his massive head and turned it towards the door with a happy bark. Hawke pushed against the Mabari's broad chest until he finally moved off her, allowing her to see the person that had just spoken.

"Fenris," she said a bit breathlessly. She stared at him in surprise. "What are you doing here," she asked the elf.

The lanky elf stood leaning against the doorjamb, his long arms folded across his armored chest. His dark green eyes, peering out from beneath a long lock of his silver-white hair, returned her gaze. A fleeting smile passed across his handsome face. "I had not realized I needed an invitation to come see you."

Fenris studied the woman on the floor before him. She had sat up and was trying to straighten out the short skirt she wore, which had somehow gotten twisted about her upper thighs when the hound had bowled her over. Hawke seemed a bit nervous and unsure of herself- something Fenris was not used to seeing in this particular mage.

"May I help you up?" he asked as he unfolded his long arms and stood upright. He took a few steps forward into the room and reached a hand down to her. Hawke grabbed his offered hand and Fenris quickly pulled her to her feet- a little too quickly. The momentum of his pull forced her forward and into his chest.

Hawke tried to back away from Fenris, but his hands were tightly grasping her upper arms, holding her in place. She placed the palm of her hands flat against his hard chest and looked up into his face; her brilliant aquamarine eyes stared intently into his large green ones. She was having trouble managing her thoughts, and for some strange reason she could not seem to remember to breathe when she ought to.

Fenris tilted his head downwards slightly and asked, "Why did you not come back to Danarius' mansion last night?" He still referred to the mansion where he lived as Danarius', even though his dead ex-master actually never had any claim to the property.

"W-w-what?" she stammered. _Maker! Why can't I think straight?_

"Last night. Why did you never come back?" he asked her again patiently. "In the middle of our…talk…you left to take care of some urgent business with the mine." Fenris' dark eyebrows slanted downwards as he frowned. "But you did not return once you had completed your task." He gazed at her with a slightly troubled expression and asked, "Does your reasons for not returning have anything to do with why you did not ask me to accompany you to the Bone Pit?"

Hawke could tell that Fenris was still hurt about her leaving him behind, although he would never admit it to her. She still remembered how annoyed he had looked when the courier, interrupting their reconciliation, had arrived with the message from her business partner about the trouble in the mines they owned jointly. She had informed Fenris that she had business to take care of and then she had simply – left. She had left him behind in that run-down mansion, staring after her with a bemused and slightly hurt expression upon his face.

The furrow on Fenris' brow deepened further when Hawke remained silent in response to his question. The elf was starting to get angry, but he made an effort to control it. Something he found himself doing often when he was around this beautiful and strong-willed, but often exasperating, mage.

"Hawke- Answer me," he ordered her, his voice even and calm, despite his rising anger.

"I-I- can't think, Fenris," she told him. "Please… let me go," she pleaded with him.

Fenris tightened his grip on her upper arms. "You did not mind being in my arms last afternoon," he responded. "Does my kiss now mean nothing to you?"

His kiss- his apology- had meant _everything_ to her. She had waited three long years for that apology. Waited for him to explain to her why he had ended their relationship before it had even begun.

"Ahem!"

The sound of a familiar man's voice, loudly clearing his throat, interrupted Hawke's thoughts. Both she and Fenris turned their heads and saw that Anders was standing at the top of the stairs that led down from the room's upper level, where he had just entered into, through the hidden door that led from the mansion's underground passageways.

"I didn't mean to interrupt, Cat…but I thought I should make my presence known before the two of you got any further into your… conversation."

"Anders. I didn't know you were coming over tonight," she replied to her friend, her tone a bit too sharp. She glanced at Fenris. He was glaring at Anders, and she felt his muscles tense beneath her palms.

"Well…that's the point of having my own key, isn't it? So I can come and go as need be," replied the mage with a smile that bordered suspiciously on the smug side. However, he was looking at Fenris and not at her as he spoke. The elf's cheek muscle quivered in barely suppressed anger as he gave Anders a challenging glare.

"As you can see, _mage_, Hawke is presently busy at the moment," Fenris said between gritted teeth. "Perhaps you could come back at a more opportune time."

Anders smiled again as he started his descent down the stairs, a heavy book in one hand, and replied, "I'll be out of your way soon enough, elf." He noticed that Hawke was frowning at him as he reached the bottom of the stairway, and Fenris looked as if he wanted to pull his still beating heart out of his chest.

"Before I forget, Cat," he said as he held up the rather large tome that he had been holding in his right hand. "I have that book of spells that you wanted to study. I'll just put it on the table… by the bed."

Anders smiled to himself when he saw the annoyed look that Hawke was giving him. She meant the world to him, but he had never really gotten over the fact that she had chosen the elf instead of him. Therefore, he rather liked the idea that Fenris was _clearly_ getting the wrong idea about him and Hawke.

Anders managed to squeeze by the two of them as they stood before the room's doorway. Fenris had finally let go of Hawke, only because he had to move in order for him to keep Anders in his line of sight as the mage walked across the room towards the open door. Hawke had immediately moved a few steps away from Fenris as soon as he had released her; her eyes darted back-and-forth between the other mage and the elf.

"I'm off to bed now," Anders said as he exited the room. "Hawke, you know where I'll be should you want- err- need me," he said over his shoulder as he walked through the doorway. He knew that Hawke had clearly heard the amusement in his voice, by the looks of the parting glare she had just shot at him. Anders chuckled to himself when he heard Fenris swear at him in Arcanum before he was out of earshot.

"Oh, I'll find you all right," she mumbled angrily under her breath as she watched the irritating mage walk away. "But you won't like it when I freeze your family jewels into two little balls of solid ice!" She had realized what Anders had been up to and she was not pleased with him at all.

Suddenly she heard Fenris' deep chuckle. She looked over at him and saw that he was smiling at her. Hawke loved it when he smiled, his whole face lit up. It was just too bad that he had not allowed himself to smile more over the past six years.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side, Hawke." Fenris had heard her angry muttering concerning Anders, and smiling to himself, he had thought that he would pay good coin to see such a sight. If he _had_ any coin that is.

Hawke let out a long exasperated sigh and walked over to the small sofa that sat before the massive fireplace and flopped down into it, with another huge sigh. She had recently purchased the sofa and had decided to keep it in this room. In the past, she had always pulled one of the desks' chairs out and set it before the fireplace whenever she wanted to sit and enjoy this room. Fenris walked over and seated himself beside her. He looked up at the rather large statue that was upon the mantle of her fireplace.

"I hate that statute," he stated.

She looked up at the statue as well. "I know." She frowned slightly. "You know…I _still_ don't remember buying the bloody thing."

Fenris turned his lanky frame sideways on the small sofa, to afford himself a better view of the woman seated next to him. He thought her to be one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. He had seen many women along his travels over the years- but none could compare to her. No other woman had ever captured his attention such as this one. Before Hawke had come into his life, he had thought that he had been destined to be alone, but somehow this woman-this _mage_-had changed everything for him. _The Maker certainly has a perverse sense of humor._

"I didn't come here to speak of statues, Hawke." He started to reach out to her with one of his hands and then he noticed that he was still wearing his armored gloves. When he had first arrived, Fenris had had intended to remove them at the same time when he had removed his long two-handed sword from his back, but the sounds of Hawke's lovely laughter had distracted him. He removed both gauntlets and dropped them to the floor next to the sofa.

"Did you say something Fenris," Hawke asked as she turned her head to him. She had been lost in her own musings while she had been staring at the statue and had not heard what he had said.

Fenris reached out again with one of his bared hands and gently ran it through the locks of her soft hair. He gave her a half smile. "I have always wanted to do that…but you have never worn you hair loose around me."

Hawke felt a small jolt course through her body at his simple touch. She turned her face slightly and rubbed her cheek against his hand. Fenris felt the same small jolt that she had, run through his own body. Whenever the two of them touched, his luminescent lyrium tattoos always reacted to the magical powers she carried within herself. It was not an unpleasant feeling, just an extremely intense one that took some getting used to.

"Fenris…I'm sorry about Anders. He was just trying to get back at me for…" Hawke suddenly stopped speaking when she realized that she had never told Fenris about what had happened- what had almost happened- between her and Anders.

"…For not allowing him into your bed, I imagine," Fenris replied with a shrewd look, and then gave her a small crooked smile that disappeared almost as soon as it appeared.

Hawke should have known that there was little that could be hidden among her small circle of companions. Unless, of course, your name was Isabela and you happened to be an expert at lying. _I will never forgive that backstabbing bitch for betraying me like that and leaving me alone to deal with the Arishok! _Hawke shook her head to clear her thoughts and rubbed her temple. Just thinking about what her supposed _friend_ had done was enough to give her a headache.

"I'm sure that Anders would never reveal such a thing to you," replied Hawke. "So, how did you find out?" she asked him curiously.

Fenris replied with a single word. "Varric."

"Varric! Of course it would have been him," she said. "But why in the world would he feel the need to tell you?" Hawke asked.

Varric was the one that had warned Hawke against getting involved with Fenris over three years ago, so she wasn't sure why he had suddenly felt the need to tell Fenris that she was not in- nor ever had been in- a romantic relationship with Anders.

"I believe it was the dwarf's way of letting me know how foolish I had been to let you go," Fenris explained with a fleeting amused smile. "And that you were still…available… should I finally come to my senses."

Hawke studied the elf's face for a long, thoughtful moment before she spoke. "And have you?" she asked quietly, "Finally come to your senses?"

Fenris looked a bit taken aback at her question. His dark eyebrows slanted downward as he frowned at her. "I thought we had already settled all that yesterday." His dark green eyes searched her bright aquamarine ones. "I took your words, '_I forgive you_', as your acknowledgement that you had not only understood and accepted everything that I had said to you on yesterday, but that you had also _heard_ the actual words that I had spoken."

Hawke had certainly heard and understood everything that he had told her yesterday. At first she had been overjoyed that he had finally told her how he really felt about her- that he wanted to be by her side for the rest of his life. Part of her had always known why he had left her after that night two years ago. She had always understood how he had felt and she had known, these past two years, that he still had deep feelings for her, especially when he had started wearing a red scarf, once belonging to her, tightly wrapped around his right arm above his wrist. She knew then that he would someday come back to her, and yesterday he had. _So why am I suddenly afraid to believe him? _Because, if he truly had not meant what he had said, she did not think she could stand the devastation if he broke her heart. Again.

"I heard what you said, Fenris." She searched his face, looking for anything that might signify a change of heart- that he now regretted what he had declared to her on yesterday. "I just don't know if I believe it…"

"I'm here, am I not?" Fenris asked her quietly, his eyes never wavering from her face.

"Yes," she replied softly.

"Then believe."

Fenris slowly leaned forward towards Hawke; his eyes smoldered with heat and passion as he stared into the depths of her eyes from beneath a stray lock of his pale hair. She reached her hand out and brushed the lock of hair from his eyes. He grabbed her hand, brought it to his lips and tenderly kissed the back of it, sending little shock waves through her body. Fenris smiled knowingly when he saw her body quiver. He lowered her hand but kept it tucked firmly in his.

"Did you know that a lone wolf can never be happy? That the wolf is meant to be part of a pack, even if the pack is only made up of two wolves?" he asked her as a smile played about his striking face.

"I had heard something to that effect…" she replied with a puzzled tone, wondering where he was going with this.

"And did you know that once a wolf chooses a mate, they are mated for life?" His eyes searched her face as if he was waiting for some sort of indication that she was truly _hearing_ what he was saying to her.

Suddenly Hawke understood what he was trying to say. She nodded her head as her eyes filled with bright, unshed tears.

"Do you remember what I said the name Danarius had given me means? What _Fenris_ means?" He was looking at her so intently. She was finding it hard to breathe again.

"It means _Little Wolf_," she said softly.

"Well, this _wolf_ has chosen his mate," Fenris said with a smile. "That is, if a _Hawke _doesn't mind being mated with a _Little Wolf_?"

Hawke gave Fenris a brilliant smile as she laughed in pure joy. "Fenris, I have waited for over three long years for you to say this to me. This _Hawke_ is not about to let her _Little Wolf_ go. Not now, not ever."

"Hawke…my heart is yours." Fenris leaned in closer to her. "I am yours- today, tomorrow, and forever," he vowed to her, his tone deep and sincere.

Hawke reached out her hand and grabbed Fenris by the back of his neck. She pulled his head close to hers and kissed him on his mouth. Hawke had meant the kiss to be a gentle one, but the moment their lips touched, she lost all control. She could no longer contain three long years of pent-up desire and longing for Fenris.

Fenris returned her kiss with a passion that matched hers- the flames of desire threatened to consume them both. Fenris had not felt such heat and desire since that night he and Hawke had first given themselves to each other. The feelings this woman-_this mage_- caused him to experience were indescribable.

The air around them began to pulsate and hum with an unseen energy that seemed to emanate from the pair of them; magic and desire mixed in equal parts.

"Festis bei umo canavarum," gasped Fenris, a husky growl to his voice. The woman was driving him over the edge.

"_You will be the death of me_…" said Hawke with amused laughter. "What have I done now?" she asked.

"You have changed my life, Hawke. You have awakened feelings within me that I never knew I had. Awakened dreams and desires that I never dared hope to have," he replied.

"Isn't that a good thing?" she asked the elf, smiling at him.

Fenris looked at her for a moment with a slight wry expression upon his face. "I haven't decided yet," he said, giving her a faint smile.

Hawke laughed at him and shook her head in amazement. The elf certainly did like to brood! She watched, curiously, as Fenris stood up from the sofa she sat upon, bent down to retrieve his gloves from the floor, and then started walking towards the doorway. When he got to the opened door, he stopped and turned back around to look at her for a moment.

"Fenris? You aren't leaving are you?" she asked, a bit incredulous that he would actually think of leaving.

"Yes. There are one too many mages in this place, for what I have in mind for us," he explained with a smile. "Come to my mansion in an hour, Hawke. We can continue our…conversation there."

Fenris nodded his head to her goodbye, turned back around and exited the room. Hawke continued to stare after him even when she could no longer see his form. Her Mabari hound padded into the room and jumped up onto the sofa next to her. He gave her a happy bark and then cocked his head at her.

"Well, boy… I guess I won't be spending a quiet home tonight after all." She ruffled the hound's fur at the back of his neck and then gave him a hug. The Mabari barked and licked her face. Hawke smiled and sat back against the cushions on the sofa. An hour suddenly seemed like a very long time to wait. But then again, she had been waiting three years for this night- so what was another hour?

Hawke stared into the fireplace and thought how strange life could turn out. When she first arrived in Kirkwall, she would have never imagined that the one person that she would fall in love with would turn out to be an elf, an elf who was an escaped slave, who not only had a deep resentment and dislike for mages, but also a deep mistrust of magic itself.

_Yes, the Maker certainly has a strange sense of humor. Hmm, I wonder if I should bring something with me to his mansion. _Hawke looked over the back of the sofa and her eye caught the perfect thing. She smiled. It seems the right special occasion had just presented itself- and it would start in about one hour.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Thanks** to everyone who has made "The Heart of a Wolf" his or her favorite story. I hope it remains your favorite after reading the 2nd and final part of this particular story. I have had **so** much fun writing about these two characters that I have decided to continue their saga in another story, titled "A Song of Sorrows"._

_Your reviews and opinions- negative or positive- are **much appreciated**. _

_As Always…Thanks to BioWare and the entire Dragon Age team- you rock!_

**Part Two**

Catelynn Hawke walked slowly through the Chantry's deserted courtyard on her way to the section of Hightown where most of the nobles lived. She still had a few moments before she was supposed to see Fenris and she did not want to appear overly eager.

The sun had set some hours ago and the night was well on, as the lack of noticeable activity in this area of Kirkwall could now attest. The soft glow of the burning lights within the tall lamps lit Hawke's pathway, as she walked purposefully towards her intended destination.

Hawke had forgone her usual armored clothing for a simple blue form-fitting mage's robe, but she did bring her staff with her. One could never be too careful while traversing the darkened streets of Kirkwall, even in the more affluent areas such as Hightown.

Hawke climbed up the wide stone steps that led to the upper area of Hightown, which housed most of the more affluent members of Kirkwall's society. Hawke stopped at the top of the incline and looked around at her surroundings.

The city's district of Hightown was quite different from the city's poorer Lowtown and Darktown districts; no beggars, no squalor, no foul stench of refuse or sewer fumes were found here. _Funny how enough gold coin puts and end to all of that. _Over the years, Hawke had poured a lot of money into Kirkwall in hopes of easing the plight of the other Ferelden refugees, but she feared she was fighting a losing battle. There were just too many of them and the natives of Kirkwall still harbored deep-seated prejudices against her fellow countrymen.

Hawke sighed softly, and turning right at the top of the stairs, she resumed walking towards Fenris' mansion. When she got to the mansion's entryway, Hawke paused for a moment to take a deep, calming breath and then she entered the mansion through the unlocked door.

As Hawke walked into the enormous main room of the estate, she saw that Fenris had done little to change the mansion's appearance- it still looked as run-down and disused as ever. She wondered, yet again, how he could stand to live in such a dismal and gloomy place. Hawke looked up at the cathedral ceilings of the mansions, as she crossed the expansive floor to one of the double stairways that led to the upper level of the home. _Ugh! There are even more spider-webs in the corners of this room than last time I was here!_

She suddenly looked around the room in apprehension, eyes narrowed as she searched for the spiders that had made the webs. She _hated_ spiders- of any size.

With a little shudder, Hawke quickly climbed the stairway to the upper level of the mansion where the room that Fenris used was located. She walked across the landing and entered his large room; she stopped and stared in surprise when two things immediately caught her notice.

The first surprising thing was that Fenris had actually cleaned the room. There was not a spider-web found anywhere in the large room- not on the bookcases, or even in the darkened corners of the room. He had even swept the floor and dusted! That he had done this in preparation for her arrival, spoke volumes to her.

The second thing she had noticed caused her heart to flutter crazily about inside her, and made it hard for her to breathe. She stared transfixed at Fenris as he stood by the lighted fireplace, wearing only a pair of form-fitting leather pants riding low on his slim hips. He stood watching her, his long arms folded across his bare chest, his lyrium markings standing out clearly against the darker coloring of his bared skin. Shadows from the flickering flames burning within the hearth played across his slim but well-developed torso. Yes, she definitely was having trouble remembering to breathe. _Holy Maker! Why can't I breathe- or think!_

Out of nowhere, she heard Isabela's voice within her head... something along the lines of oil and Fenris' glistening body. Hawke frowned as she started to remember all the other comments and innuendos that Isabela had constantly made about Fenris, after she had found out he had left Hawke. Suddenly Hawke wondered if there had not been something between Fenris and Isabela after all. Maybe while she had been waiting patiently for him, he and the _backstabbing whore of the high seas_ had been _enjoying_ each other's company!

She glared at Fenris before striding angrily over to one of the chairs at the table. She placed her staff onto the floor and then sat down in a huff. She remembered that she still had the bottle of wine in her hand and she unceremoniously dropped it down onto the table with a loud thump. She looked over at Fenris as she sat there, her thoughts and feelings in a hurt and angry turmoil.

Fenris had been standing there quietly, with arms crossed, observing Hawke's expression since she first had entered his living quarters. He had seen the surprised look and happy smile on her face when she had noticed that he had tidied-up the place for her. He also noticed the desire and heat that had flared in her eyes when she had noticed his state of dress, or undress, as the case may be. Then suddenly, her expression and demeanor had radically changed. She was definitely angry now about something, and Fenris had the distinct and uneasy feeling that _he _was that something.

He decided to wait to see if she would tell him what she was angry about, and why. He sighed rather loudly and thought to himself- yet again-that this woman would certainly be the death of him. His dark green eyes searched her face as he patiently waited for some sort of explanation of her puzzling change of mood.

Hawke decided that she needed to know the truth- even if the truth turned out to be along the lines of her suspicions. She decided she would simply just ask the elf straight out. She frowned thoughtfully at Fenris and then asked, "Fenris?"

"Hawke," he said.

"Did you sleep with Isabela?" she asked a bit hurriedly. Hawke was also starting to feel a bit foolish at her overreaction to her thoughts. After all, she had no real proof that anything had ever happened between Fenris and her ex-friend.

Fenris raised a dark brow at her question and gave her a fleeting smile. He had been wondering when she would get around to asking that particular question. He had not been unaware of the tensions between Hawke and Isabela over him, and he had been quite aware of the lusty Rivaini's interest in him. Isabela had been quite tenacious and straightforward in her pursuit of Fenris, but the elf had made it very clear that he would not be sampling any of her particular wares. Of course, that had only made him seem more of a challenge to Isabela.

"By sleep, do you mean the kind that you and Anders often engage in _together_?" he inquired.

Hawke stared at Fenris in stunned surprise, and then her expression changed to one of annoyance. "Anders!" she muttered under breath. _Why must that mage tell Varric everything? _She had wanted to be the one to explain things to Fenris- eventually.

It was true that Anders often would fall asleep in her bed after they had been talking late into the night- or when he just did not want to be alone. She never really had discouraged Anders from doing that, because he was always a perfect gentleman- of course, being a mage as well, he knew _exactly_ what she could do to him should he decide _not_ to be a perfect gentleman.

Another reason she gratefully accepted Anders' platonic companionship was that she often felt as alone as he did. Fenris may understand feelings of loneliness, but he could never understand the type of loneliness that mages suffered, but Anders did. However, her relationship with Anders was completely different then whatever relationship Isabela and Fenris may have had- which reminded her that the elf was still waiting for a response from her.

"I _mean_ did you have _sex_ with her?" she asked, clarifying her previous question.

"An interesting question you ask," he stated, giving her another fleeting smile.

"And do you plan on answering it?" she asked. She was starting to get annoyed with the elf.

Fenris gave a small chuckle. "No."

Hawke raised her eyebrows at him. "_No_- you aren't going to answer my question…or _no_- you didn't have sex with Isabela?" she asked him with an exasperated look. "Well, which is it?"

"No, I did _not_ have _sex_ with Isabela," Fenris replied slowly and emphatically.

"Well. All right then. That's good to know," she said in a relieved voice. It seems she had gotten angry over nothing.

"And what would you have done, if my answer had been yes?" Fenris asked. He uncrossed his long arms and seated himself upon the long wooden bench that sat angled before the fireplace. He stretched his long leather-clad legs before him, crossing them at the ankles, and then folded his arms again in front of his bare chest.

Hawke looked at him for a moment and thought about his question. "I really hadn't thought that far ahead," she replied with a small smile. "But I'm sure it would have involved magic."

"And when does it _not_ involve magic when it comes to you, Hawke." He looked at her with a strange expression on his face. "It seems I am destined to be surrounded by magic," he said. "But I guess that is to be expected when I have chosen to bind myself to a mage." Fenris looked at her and smiled appreciatively, adding, "A beautiful mage."

Hawke returned his smile with a lovely one of her own. She loved to hear him speak for he had such an expressive tone to his voice; a deep masculine timbre that never failed to send thrills of delight throughout her body. He could be talking about the weather and _still_ his voice would cause her to feel a rush of desire for him. Needless to say, this had sometimes caused problems for Hawke when Fenris had accompanied her on whatever task or mission that she may have had at the time. Often she found her mind wandering to places that had naught to do with her current quest.

Fenris' humor inflected voice interrupted her musings. "Hawke- Are you going to spend the entire rest of the night sitting across the room, just staring at me?" he asked.

Hawke looked intently at him for another moment before she gave him a slow smile. She stood up from her seated position and then walked slowly, hips gently swaying, to stand in front of him as he sat upon the low wooden bench. She looked down at him and asked, "May I?"

Without waiting for his response, she pulled up the ankle-length robe to her thighs and moved closer to him, straddling his outstretched legs. Fenris unfolded his arms and placed his hands on either side of her waist as she sat upon his lap, facing him. Hawke let go of her garment and encircled his neck with her long, slender arms.

"Is this better?" she asked him with a teasing look in her eye.

"Much better," he stated with smile. He removed his hand from her waist and ran it slowly down her side until it rested on her bared thigh.

"You do realize that I'm not wearing _anything_ beneath these robes…" she teased him, her voice low and husky with desire. She gasped softly when Fenris moved his hand further up on her thigh and under her robe. A jolt of desire swiftly shot through her body.

"Even better," he said, his voice further deepened by his need for her.

Hawke ran a hand through his silver-white hair and stared into his eyes, losing herself in the dark-green depths of them. She had never felt this way about anyone before- not ever. Fenris made her feel things inside that rocked her to her very core. He made her spirit sing.

"I love you." He startled them both with those three words. Hawke looked at him with amazement. _Fenris_ was a little amazed that he had just uttered those words to her.

"W-w-what?" she stammered. She had to be dreaming. Perhaps she really was in the Fade and this was some trick of a Desire demon. Maybe she was hearing things.

"I love you, Hawke." Fenris replied and this time he actually knew he meant it. He loved this mage- Maker help him.

Hawke was still trying to wrap her mind around what he had just said. To say that it was unexpected would be a gross understatement; sort of like saying that Knight-Commander Meredith was a little insensitive with her treatment of the mages.

Hawke arched a single brow at Fenris as she studied his face. "You know- I was _already_ planning on sleeping with you tonight." She still was trying to fathom his motives for saying those three not-so-little words.

Fenris laughed. "Good to know," he replied. Fenris returned her look and his expression turned serious. "But that is not the reason. There _is_ no reason- other than I have given you my heart."

Hawke took his handsome face between her hands and gazed deeply into his eyes. "I have loved you since that night we spent together. That night I gave you my heart, and for two years I have waited for you to give me yours." Hawke's aquamarine eyes filled with tears. "I love you," she told him softly. "I have always loved you."

With one swift movement of his head, Fenris captured her mouth with his, as his hands buried themselves into her unbound hair. He pulled her head closer so that he could deepen his kiss, but still he wanted more. He slanted his head slightly and crushed his mouth to hers, parting her soft lips with his tongue. He ravished her mouth with his lips and with his tongue, and yet he wanted more. He needed more.

Hawke could sense his strong desire – and his frustration. She ran her hands down the front of his muscular chest and then up along his well-toned forearms - where his markings were- skimming his skin lightly with her fingers. Fenris' body trembled slightly as his lyrium tattoos reacted to the power in her touch. He crushed her to his chest and inhaled deeply, breathing in her scent, as he buried his face into her fragrant hair. He felt her slender, yet strong, arms encircling his neck, pulling him closer to her.

"What spell have you cast upon me, mage?" he growled to her. "That I should feel… like you are making me feel."

Hawke pulled back slightly away form him and smiled a secret sort of smile. "Love and desire- mixed in equal parts," she replied. "That is all."

Fenris pulled her roughly to him and then suddenly stood up from the bench causing her to gasp in surprise. Hawke wrapped her arms about his neck, and her legs about his waist, as he strode to his bed.

Fenris stopped a few feet away from the side of his bed and looked at Hawke's face with an expectant look. When she did not do anything, he said, "It would be much easier for me to let you down if you would remove your legs from around me- not that I am complaining."

Hawke laughed –a bit embarrassed- and unwound her legs. She slowly slid down the length of his hard, lanky body until her feet were touching the floor. She looked up into his face and gave him a slow smile, her embarrassment gone. Fenris returned her smile and bent his head until his lips were but a few inches away from hers, but he went no farther.

Hawke's heart was thumping wildly in her chest and her body was tingling all over. She was also starting to feel annoyed that Fenris still was not kissing her. "Kiss me elf," she ordered him.

Fenris chuckled and then did her bidding- rather well. By the time he had finished kissing Hawke, she was trembling and her thoughts were incoherent-she could not for the life of her even remember her name.

"Hawke? Are you alright?" he asked her.

"Hawke! Right- my name," she mumbled under her breath. Fenris looked at her strangely.

She backed away from him and sat down at the edge of his bed. Bending over, she lifted her robes and then pulled off her short boots, tossing them to the floor, away from the bed. She sat back up but did not pull the hem of her robes back down. Her long shapely legs and part of her thighs remained bared to his view. She heard Fenris' sharp intake of breath as she moved her legs ever so slightly apart.

She heard Fenris said something in Arcanum- or Elvish- she could never tell the difference. What she _could_ tell was that Fenris' patience was coming to a quick end. She smiled and laughed softly at his frustrated look. She decided to let him wait a bit longer- after all, _he_ had made her wait for two years!

Fenris stood silently and watched Hawke as she moved further backwards onto his bed. Her robes inched further upwards along her thighs every time she moved backwards along his bed. He knew she had worn no undergarments under her robes and it was driving him crazy! He had a sudden desire to rip the bloody robe from her body. He smiled to himself at the thought.

Hawke had been watching the play of emotions across his handsome face, and she was no longer so sure that she wanted to make him wait. His eyes flashed with heat, as his desire and need for her grew stronger. She let her eyes roam over his partly clad body and she felt another quick stab of desire for him. She wanted to feel his body pressed against hers- skin against skin- unencumbered by clothes that were no longer wanted, or needed.

She raised her eyes to his and stretched forth her hand to him, calling his name softly. Fenris reached his bed in two long strides and reached out to take her smaller hand in his. She pulled him down upon the bed with her.

Fenris rolled onto his back and pulled Hawke onto him as he kissed her passionately. Hawke felt his hands upon her back at the neck of her robe- torturing her with his excruciating slowness- by undoing the buttons, one button at a time. When he had finally loosened Hawke's robe enough, Fenris slipped the robe down her shoulders, baring her soft silky, skin to him. He ran his hands over her shoulders and down the exposed skin of her back; he reveled in the feel of her smooth skin. Hawke shivered in delight when his strong, capable hands caressed her bared skin.

Hawke sat up -straddling Fenris as he lay upon his back- and looked down at the handsome elf. She smiled at him teasingly as she ran her hands down his smooth, hard chest and along the rippled muscles of his abdomen; she felt his muscles tense and quiver under the palm of her hands. Fenris suddenly reached up with both hands and grabbed the neckline of her loosened robe and with one strong pull, he rent Hawke's robe in two, effectively baring her entire beautiful body to him as the torn pieces of her robe fell away.

"You are a beautiful woman, Hawke," he said almost reverently as he ran his hands up the sides of her torso and under the swell of her bared breasts; she quivered at his touch.

"If you wanted my robe removed, Fenris, you only had to ask and I would have removed it for you," she said with a hint of laughter in her voice. "You didn't have to rip it off of me."

"True. But my way was quicker…and so very satisfying," he replied with a low chuckle.

"Perhaps I should return the favor," she said as she tugged at the waistband of his leather pants. "I fear these are in my way, elf."

Fenris inhaled his breath sharply as she began to undo the buttons of his leathers. He then decided she was taking much too long in ridding him of his pants. He quickly rolled Hawke onto her back so that he could get up. He moved off the bed and standing up he freed himself- after two hard, impatient tugs- from his leather pants.

Hawke's eyes had been following his every move, every play of his muscles, as he removed the rest of his clothing. Her eyes flashed with heat and desire as her appreciative gaze glided over his very well proportioned nude body.

Fenris drank in the sight of her as she lay upon her side in his bed; her beautiful face…her long supple limbs…her womanly curves. How he loved this woman…this mage.

Hawke shivered under the wild heat of his gaze as his eyes caressed every inch of her body. She felt… she could not explain how she felt-how he made her feel- the power that he had over her…over her body. She only knew that she wanted him…needed him. She ached for him.

"Fenris…" she pleaded softly to him. "Please…"

Fenris strode quickly to the bed and went to her. He pulled Hawke into his strong arms and crushed his mouth to hers. She wrapped her arms around him and returned his kiss with wild abandonment.

With willing hands and eager mouths, they explored the hard planes and soft curves of each other's bodies. Soft lips and fervent kisses trailed upon smooth skin, flushed by the heat of their passion. Amidst soft sighs and low moans, amidst quiet cries of pleasure, they whispered words of love to each other.

Fenris - supporting his weight upon his forearms- rose above Hawke and stared deeply into her eyes. "I want you, Hawke," he said, his voice rough and wild with desire. "I need you."

"I'm here, Fenris," she replied softly, staring into the depths of his dark-green eyes. "Right here- I am yours."

Hawke gasped in pleasure as Fenris entered her then; he began to move his hips against hers as she clung to him, her fingers digging into the rippling muscles of his back. Hawke closed her eyes as she gave in to his heat, in to the pleasure he caused her to feel- a pleasure only he could give. The waves of intense feeling continued to grow inside of her as he moved his strong body against hers. Fenris groaned aloud as she met his tempo- movement by movement, thrust by thrust.

"Hawke. Look at me," he demanded. His timbre was deep and rough with passion.

She opened her eyes wide and looked up into his face. His irises were dark with desire and passion as he searched her face. Their gaze met. They stared intently into each other's eyes, baring their souls to each other.

Love and desire, power and magic, surrounded them both. The air around them began to hum and resonate with unseen power as the storm of desire inside their bodies began to grow even stronger.

Breaths became ragged. Skin became slick. Friction became heat. Pleasure became uncontainable. Hawke cried out his name as the waves of pleasure overtook her- her body shuddered repeatedly. Again, and again, he brought her to the peak of her pleasure, urging her body to climb higher and higher with each climax he wrought from her. Fenris bent his head and captured her mouth- tasting her. Suddenly his body tightened and then shuddered deeply as his own pleasure overtook him- he lifted his head and cried out her name.

Hawke could not help it- she started to laugh even as she sought to catch her breath. Fenris did not quite know what to make of her laughter and the confusion showed on his face, which only made Hawke laugh at him all the more.

"Oh Fenris," she said laughing softly. "You couldn't even call me by my first name- not even then." She looked up at him, a glint of humor in her eyes, and smiled gently.

Fenris looked relieved when he heard the reason for her laughter. One corner of his mouth turned upwards with a humorous twist. "I was afraid that if I called you by any other name than 'Hawke', you would think I was calling out the name of another woman."

Hawke laughed again as Fenris quickly rolled to his back, taking her with him. She snuggled into his side as he gathered her into the crook of his arm and held her close. She supposed that his explanation was as good as any other one. At least he was consistent in calling her 'Hawke'.

A few moments went by before Hawke broke the comfortable silence of the room. She had been lazily running her fingers over his lyrium markings when suddenly something occurred to her.

"Fenris?" she asked looking up at his face. He tilted his head downwards to look at her. "Did your markings hurt you at all?"

He thought about it for a moment and he realized that he had felt no pain at all- not even a little discomfort. All he had felt was intense pleasure.

"No. I felt no pain at all," he replied in slight wonderment. "That is an unexpected, but welcome turn of events." He frowned slightly as he tried to figure out the reason for his absence of pain, but with a shrug of his shoulders, he decided to accept it for what it was- a welcome change to go along with his new life with Hawke.

Hawke was extremely happy for Fenris. She was exceedingly happy for herself. She was just plain happy. Tonight had been more than she could she could ever have hoped for, or even imagined. She felt like celebrating- which reminded her.

"Shall we open the bottle of wine that I brought…to celebrate tonight's… _special occasion_?" she asked Fenris. _Special occasion_ sounded a whole lot better to her than 'because we finally had sex again after three years'.

Fenris studied her face a moment and then gave her a slight smile. "I hadn't realized that our 'special occasion'_, _as you have so aptly put it_,_ was now at an end."

Hawke gave him a delighted smile. "Well, in that case I suppose the wine can wait until tonight's occasion has truly come to its end."

"That could be quite a number of hours from now," Fenris said as he pulled her on top of him. He ran his hands, enjoying the feel of her, down the length of her back and over her rounded derrière. "Days, even."

Hawke laughed softly and kissed her elf, a hint of a promise on her lips. "Well I've waited this long to open the bottle…what's another few more hours or so?" she said happily as she kissed Fenris again. "Or maybe a few days…" He retuned her kiss slowly and she felt that familiar jolt of desire that he always gave her. She murmured against his lips. "_Definitely_ a few days…"


End file.
